Shady Retreat: Reclaiming a San Jose Backyard Corner

Jan Coleman's San Jose backyard corner has had two lives. Thirty years ago, small trees allowed sunbathing on a deck. As trees matured and blocked light, Coleman, with designer Sally Edwards, tore out the deck and reclaimed the 10-by-15-foot plot for a shady retreat bordered with flowers.

She enriched soil with 6 cubic yards of planting mix, interspersed three large fieldstones for a casual country look, and planted flowering perennials: astilbe, columbine, delphinium, hellebore. Abutilon, acanthus, and nandina provide a backdrop; double impatiens and coleus add seasonal color.

An existing brown fence felt drab, so she painted it vivid lavender-pink. "I thought I'd made a big mistake," she says. "But now I love the green foliage against the pink fence."

DESIGN: Sally Edwards Garden Consultation & Design, San Jose (408/283-0286)